Brenna Bird and Governor Reynolds Push Back Against DOJ’s Pressure on Iowa’s Voter Integrity
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird.
“State and federal law are clear: only American citizens can vote in American elections,” Bird said in a statement. “Now, just days before the 2024 election, the DOJ is attempting to undermine long-standing election integrity laws and pressure Iowa into letting noncitizens vote. But I have news for Biden and Harris: not on my watch. Every legal vote must count and not be canceled by an illegal vote. In Iowa, we will defend our election integrity laws and protect the vote.”
This development unfolds amid heightened concerns about Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate’s recent directive to county auditors, which challenges the eligibility of more than 2,000 registered Iowa voters. The state-based the list on outdated Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) records, which may not reflect the current citizenship status of naturalized citizens. Many on the list have reportedly proven their citizenship, raising questions about the reliability of the screening method. Furthermore, because the list has not been disclosed publicly, affected voters are largely unaware of their status unless informed by county officials or if they find themselves issued provisional ballots at the polls.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), alongside other advocacy groups, filed a federal lawsuit to halt these challenges, labeling them as discriminatory and arbitrary. The ACLU argues that many eligible voters are being wrongly identified, forcing them to cast provisional ballots that are less likely to be counted. “It is shocking that the state’s highest official charged with protecting the voting rights of Iowa citizens is spearheading an effort to disenfranchise Iowa citizens,” said ACLU of Iowa Legal Director Rita Bettis Austen. The ACLU claims that Pate’s directive reflects an “effort to fuel a false narrative about voter fraud by noncitizens and lay the groundwork to undermine confidence in the election.”
Adding to the tension, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds issued a statement in support of Bird and Pate following a recent ruling by a U.S. District Court judge denying an injunction against Pate’s citizenship challenge directive. “Today’s ruling is a victory for election integrity,” Reynolds stated. “In Iowa, while we encourage all citizens to vote, we will enforce the law and ensure those votes aren’t canceled out by the illegal vote of a non-citizen.”
Despite the legal challenges, Secretary Pate has defended his actions, asserting that his office is addressing voter fraud concerns head-on. He maintains that the DOJ’s intervention is timed to coincide with the election, casting federal scrutiny on the integrity of Iowa’s voting procedures.
The ACLU’s lawsuit points to the experiences of individual voters, including a naturalized citizen originally from China who expressed fear that she might be on the list. After contacting her local auditor and the Secretary of State’s office, she was unable to confirm her status as neither office would disclose her position on the list.
The conflict reflects broader national tensions over election integrity and voter access, a theme that has intensified as states prepare for a high-stakes election cycle. The ACLU contends that the provisional ballots forced upon naturalized citizens amount to voter disenfranchisement, while Iowa’s leadership insists it is merely upholding the rule of law.
